The present invention relates to a music processing apparatus which is capable of performing various music processing, such as recording/reproduction, editing, mixing, etc. of performance events and audio signals and which is also capable of registering therein plug-in software, equipped with a predetermined music function, to thereby use the music function of the plug-in software in part of the music processing.
Heretofore, there has been known application software called “DAW” (Digital Audio Workstation) to be installed in personal computers. Each personal computer where the DAW has been activated can function as a music processing apparatus to perform various music processing, such as recording/reproduction, editing, mixing, etc. of MIDI events and audio signals. In such a music processing apparatus, there are created, for each music file, MIDI tracks for recording MIDI events, audio tracks for recording audio signals and buses for mixing audio signals. MIDI channel strips and audio channel strips are created in corresponding relation to the individual tracks. Various operators are provided in each of the MIDI channel strips, so that, in response to user's operation any of the operators, control can be performed on a tone volume (expression), tone image localization (panning or pan), etc. of a MIDI event to be reproduced via the corresponding MIDI track. Further, in response to user's operation of any of operators provided in each of the audio channel strips, control is performed on frequency characteristics, tone volume, tone image localization, etc. of an audio signal.
Further, for addition of desired functions, the music processing apparatus are provided with one or more musical instrument plug-ins and effector plug-ins. The “plug-in” is a program for providing an additional function to application software. With a musical instrument plug-in, it is possible to add to the music processing apparatus an analog synthesizer, sampler or software tone generator dedicated to generation of tones of a piano, guitar or the like. With an effector plug-in, it is possible to add to the music processing apparatus a software effector, such as a reverberator, compressor, equalizer or the like. To use the software tone generator added by the musical instrument plug-in, the music processing apparatus performs a registration process for registering the software tone generator by opening a registration screen. To use the software effector added by the effector plug-in, the music processing apparatus performs an insertion process for inserting the software effector in a desired audio channel. By the registration process or insertion process being performed, the program of the musical instrument plug-in or effector plug-in can be executed so that a port is set for exchanging or communicating data between the music processing apparatus and the software tone generator or software effector. The port is assigned the name of the software tone generator or software effector through a registration process.
Further, by externally connecting hardware music equipments to the music processing apparatus, a hardware tone generator and hardware effector can be added to the music processing apparatus. Such external music equipments are connected to static ports, such as an analog output port, analog input port, SPDIF input/output ports, MIDI input port and MIDI output port, which are individual terminals of a music I/O section of the music processing apparatus. Further, where external music equipments are connected to a music network connected with a music network I/O of the music I/O section of the music processing apparatus, audio and MIDI input/output ports are dynamically formed in each of the music equipments and music processing apparatus, and logical connection is made between these dynamically-formed ports. Further, the externally-connected hardware tone generator and hardware effector can be used like a musical instrument plug-in and effector plug-in in the music processing apparatus by the user setting the names of the hardware tone generator and hardware effector and setting ports connected therewith. When any desired music equipment is externally connected to the music processing apparatus, ports are set on the basis of port-related information acquired by the music processing apparatus inquiring of the connected music equipment. Further, in order to use a hardware tone generator added the music processing apparatus through external connection, it is only necessary for the music processing apparatus to open a registration screen and perform a registration process to register the hardware tone generator. Furthermore, in order to use a hardware effector added through external connection, the music processing apparatus performs an insertion process to insert the hardware effector in a desired audio channel. Namely, various tone generators can be added to the music processing apparatus by the user adding hardware tone generators to the apparatus, and various effectors can be added to the music processing apparatus by the user adding hardware effectors to the apparatus.
With the static ports of the conventionally-known music processing apparatus, however, it is not possible to, at the time of external connection of a music equipment, identify what type of equipment has been connected to any one of the ports and acquire the name of the connected music equipment. Further, with the dynamic ports of the conventionally-known music processing apparatus, information related to the name and type of the connected music equipment, connection ports therefor of the music processing apparatus, etc. are retained only in control processing pertaining to the music I/O section and can not be used in other processing of the music processing apparatus, although generation of each port necessary for the connection and connection between the ports are automatically carried out. Thus, if the added music equipment is to be used as a music instrument plug-in or effector plug-in, the name of the connected music equipment, information about the port the music equipment has been connected to, information about remote control software of the music equipment, etc. must be manually set, which would involve cumbersome and complicated setting operation. Furthermore, even when any externally-connected music equipment has been disconnected from the music processing apparatus by erroneous operation or by accident, a display screen displaying the name of the music equipment is left unchanged, so that it is difficult for the user to become aware of the disconnection of the music equipment. Furthermore, when the music equipment has been re-connected to the music processing apparatus by the user after becoming aware of the disconnection, the user has to manually set necessary data again because the data previously set in the music equipment have been deleted.
Besides, although the conventional music processing apparatus can be externally connected with one or more music equipments to use music functions of the music equipments as part of their music processing, it would be cumbersome and complicated to perform setting of the music equipments each time the music processing apparatus is activated. Thus, it has been proposed to store in advance, into a project file, the music equipments currently being used in the music processing apparatus and data of settings (i.e., setting data) of the music equipments and then reproduce states of the music processing apparatus by reading the project file. However, logical paths between the music processing apparatus and the music equipments are sequentially set, in accordance with user's instructions, in a music LAN (Local Area Network) externally connecting the music equipments to the music processing apparatus, and which logical paths are used by which music equipments would vary depending on the order in which the user has instructed connections. Further, when the individual music equipments in the music LAN are powered on, the logical paths that were being used immediately before last powering-off are automatically restored, but, which logical paths are used by which music equipments would vary depending on timing at which the individual music equipments are powered on. Thus, even where the user powers on the music equipments in the same order as before, the same logical paths as before can not necessarily be set. Furthermore, parameters for controlling the music equipments might have been varied from those originally stored in the project file, and thus, the same musical functions of the music equipments as when the project file was stored can not be restored, which would result in music functions different from the intended music functions.